Three's A Crowd
by wolfgirlnowandforever
Summary: Gameverse. It's been like this since they were kids. Red chases after Leaf, Leaf chases after Green, and Green runs off wherever he pleases. Of course that dynamic would continue as they grew older. Of course Red would lose sight of them if he stayed still for too long. RedLeafGreen
1. Then

**A/N:** So here's another years old fic that I thought looked good enough to publish! It started life as a long oneshot but through the editing process it's become a twoshot, whoops :p Anyway, hope you like love triangles dear readers~

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Someone was running towards him.

Red glanced up from the book he had been reading, an encyclopedia about electric type Pokemon that Professor Oak had let him borrow the other day, but the familiar rapid-fire footsteps gave away the girl's identity long before her voice did.

"Hey Red!" Leaf called, charging up his porch steps until she was standing right in front of him. She was breathing heavily, hands braced on her knees as she gulped down air like she'd been running for a while. Red stood up, his book forgotten at his feet, and reached a hand out towards her, worried that she'd overexerted herself. But when she straightened up, her honey brown eyes were sparkling, and a bright grin stretched across her face.

"Red, you'll never guess what I just heard!" She said after a few seconds, her chest no longer heaving from exertion, but from excitement. "So I was walking over to Green's place to see if he wanted to play, right? But before I could knock on the door, I overheard Professor Oak talking on the phone to one of his assistants. I know, I know, I shouldn't eavesdrop on a grown-up's conversation, don't give me that look." She pointed at Red accusingly, though his expression hadn't changed. "The important thing is, I heard him say that he's going to give us all Pokemon next year! Isn't that great, Red?"

Red felt his eyes widen at her words. Although a tiny part of him had been jealous that she'd gone to see Green first this morning, the larger part of him was happy that her first thought had been to rush over and tell him the news right away. His mouth quirked up into a tiny smile as his cheeks turned pink.

"See, I knew you'd be excited!" Leaf said, reading his face like a book. She bounced up and down on her feet, unable to conceal her joy. "Can you imagine, Red? In just a year, we're going to be Pokemon Trainers!"

Red nodded, his mind spinning as he tried to imagine it. Traveling all over Kanto with his new Pokemon at his side, battling gym leaders and meeting new people... He'd dreamed about being a trainer his whole life, and now, thanks to Leaf's eavesdropping, he knew that dream was only a year away now.

"It's like a dream." Leaf said, echoing his thoughts. She grabbed his hand and tangled their fingers together, turning his face a darker shade of pink. Before he could ask her what she was doing, she started to swing their hands from side to side with a giddy smile on her face. "It's going to be the just three of us on the road together, right?"

He felt himself nod. For as long as he could remember, it had always been the three of them, him and Leaf and Green, exploring the confines of Pallet Town and having adventures. Always in that order too. Red followed Leaf wherever she wanted to go, and she followed Green, who considered himself their 'leader' and planned the day's activities for them. Red didn't mind though, he was just happy to have his friends by his side. Of course they were going to stick to that routine, even after they became trainers and were out there exploring more than just their backyards.

"Hey, Red?" Leaf asked, snapping him out of his thoughts. He noticed that even though she'd stopped swinging their hands together, she still hadn't let go. She continued now that she was sure she had his attention. "Don't you think that we should do something to celebrate? I mean becoming Pokemon trainers is a big deal! We should do something just as big, like... um..."

She paused and let her gaze wander around their surroundings. There wasn't much to see from Red's porch, so Leaf tugged him forward, and together they walked down the steps and away from the house. Leaf's eyes fell on a large hill in the distance, and her face lit up. "Like climb up that hill! What do you say Red, do you think that's big enough?"

She could have asked him to climb to the top of Mt. Silver and he would have gladly tried it. He nodded and Leaf smiled at him so wide he felt his heart skip a beat.

"Great, let's go!" She said, hurrying towards the hill. Red practically had to run to keep up with her but he didn't mind, because she was still holding his hand.

He didn't get to hold her hand too often these days. When they were younger, Leaf would reach out and grab his hand whenever she was feeling excited, or if she was afraid and needed someone to comfort her. Green usually teased her about it when she tried with him, so she would always turn to Red instead. But Leaf didn't scare easily these days, so Red made sure to treasure this moment as the two of them climbed up the hill.

"Look!" Leaf exclaimed when they reached the top, letting go of his hand and throwing her arms out at the view in front of them. He tried not to let his disappointment show. They could see all of Pallet Town from up here, and Route 1 beyond it. The tall grass that they weren't allowed to explore beckoned to him, and Leaf turned around to face him with a radiant smile. "Pallet Town looks so beautiful from up here, doesn't it? But someday we're going to see so many new towns and cities on our travels together. We'll see the whole region, and then maybe leave Kanto and explore the whole world! Isn't it amazing to think about Red?"

"I doubt you'll make it past Viridian City." A voice called from behind them. They glanced over their shoulders and saw Green, looking like he didn't have a care in the world, sauntering up the hill towards them.

"Hey, Green!" Leaf said, a pink blush dusting her cheeks as she smiled shyly at him. Her smile quickly soured when she realized what he had said to her, and crossed her arms over her chest in a huff. "Wait, what do you mean by that? I'm definitely going to make it past Viridian. I'm going to travel everywhere!"

"Oh, sure you will." Green said, raising an eyebrow playfully. "And next you'll be telling me that Red's the Champion of Kanto." He sneered, then started laughing as if he'd just told the funniest joke in existence.

"Why are you being so mean today?" Leaf said, her lower lip jutting out into a pout as she glared at him. "You're usually nicer than this, Green."

"I'm not trying to be mean." He said, holding his hands up innocently. His smug expression didn't match his posture though. "It's just that you said something weird Leaf, and I had to call you out on it. You can't just say you're going to travel everywhere, that's impossible."

"It's not and I can so." Leaf said, sticking her tongue out at him. "In fact, I betcha that I'll travel _every_ region there is, and that Red _will_ be the Champion, and then you'll have to apologize to us for being so mean."

Red blinked in amazement at how certain she sounded. Did she really think that he could be the Champion of Kanto, like Lance? He felt a swell of pride in his chest at the thought. All he really wanted from going on a journey was having fun with his friends and maybe winning enough badges to challenge the Pokemon League, but Leaf just said that he could be Champion, and if she really thought so then maybe...

"No way!" Green said, frowning and shaking his head vigorously. "Red's not going to be the Champion, because _I'm_ going to win the title!"

Leaf blinked, her frustration momentarily forgotten as confusion took its place. "Aren't you planning on being a Pokemon Professor like your grandpa?"

"Ew, no." Green said, wrinkling his nose in disdain. "Red can work in some stuffy old office with Gramps if he wants to, but not me. I'm going to be the coolest Champion that anyone's ever known, just wait and see."

"That's definitely more realistic than traveling around the world." Leaf said cheekily, looking over at Red and giving him an obvious eye roll. Red bit his lip and held back a smile.

"Keep talking like that, and I won't let you guys be my cheerleaders when I'm Champion." Green said, glaring at the two of them. "I was thinking about giving you two first dibs, since i'm going to be so popular, but now..."

Leaf scoffed and placed her hands on her hips. "Who says I want to be your cheerleader? Maybe I'll win the Championship title and make you _my_ cheerleader instead."

Green started laughing again, more incredulous than before. "You? There's no way you're going to be a better trainer than me!"

"Says who?"

"Says me."

"Just wait until next year then, Red and I are gonna battle you with our new Pokemon and prove that we're twice as good as you'll ever be!" Leaf said, stomping her foot on the ground in frustration. "Won't we Red?"

Red nodded, feeling her frustration rubbing off on him as the argument escalated. Green had no idea which one of them was going to be the better trainer, especially since they didn't even have Pokémon yet. Red was already forming battle strategies that he was sure would give him an advantage in their first battle, when Green's confused voice interrupted his thoughts.

"Wait, you two already know about next year?" He asked, his eyes going back and forth between them suspiciously. There was also a hint of disappointment in his expression. "How did you find out?"

Though she was still annoyed at him, Leaf managed to look sheepish when she explained, "Well, I overheard your grandpa talking about it when I was walking over to your house to see if you wanted to play today. I'm sorry if I spoiled the surprise."

"Geez, you're still as nosy as ever." Green rolled his eyes, but Red could see he had really wanted to be the one to break the news to them. Green shrugged to cover it up though, and said in a casual tone, "Well whatever. I guess it doesn't matter if you two already know about the Pokemon we're getting next year."

"Of course it matters." Leaf said, her mood brighter now that the conversation had shifted. "We're going to be Pokemon trainers soon, and just thinking about it gets my heart racing... I can't wait for the three of us to start our journey together."

Red felt his eyes drift to his shoes. He would never admit it out loud, but even though he was just as excited as she was to start their journey, there was a small part of him that would have liked for it to be just the two of them. It wasn't that he wanted to leave Green behind or anything, definitely not. It was just... he didn't want all of her attention to be on Green when they were traveling, like it was here at home. He was actually relieved to hear the next words come out of Green's mouth.

"Who said I'm traveling with you two?" He said, his tone shifting back to his usual arrogance. "Maybe I wanted to be on my own next year, ever think of that?"

"On your own?" Leaf asked, her voice small as she looked at Green with wide eyes. She looked like at him like he'd just slapped her, and Red regretted his earlier thought immediately. "You mean, you don't want to travel together anymore?"

Green, obnoxious as he was, could tell that his words had actually upset her this time, and quickly tried to backtrack. "I... I don't know. I mean, it's not like we were _planning_ to travel together, you just assumed we'd all want to."

"Yeah, but..." Leaf looked over at Red, her wide brown eyes no longer sparkling with joy, and asked him, "You wanted to travel together, right Red?"

He quickly nodded. He couldn't stand it when Leaf was upset. He wanted to bring the brightness back into her eyes more than anything right now.

She looked relieved to see him agree, but her eyes were still dull when she turned back to Green. "I don't understand. It's always been the three of us, together. So why do you want to go alone now? Is it something I did?"

"Of course not, I just..." He ran a hand through his messy hair and sighed in frustration. "I was just wondering what it would be like on my own okay? I didn't say I'd actually go through with it, Leaf."

She didn't seem at all comforted by his words. "But you've been thinking about it. And you didn't tell us."

"Geez." Green couldn't look her in the eye as he started kicking at the grass beneath his feet. "You're taking it too personally. I don't have to tell you everything I'm thinking, do I?"

"Guess not." Leaf mumbled, turning her eyes towards the horizon.

Red could tell that Leaf was trying not to show how upset she was, but she was blinking rapidly and her teeth were worrying her lower lip. Now, instead of being happy about going on a journey with their Pokemon in a year, she was upset that they might be splitting up when they got them. Red hated to see her so sad, hated it more than anything. So he took a deep breath and summoned all the courage he had in him to reach over and take her hand in his, squeezing reassuringly.

Leaf blinked at him, surprised. But after a moment of hesitation, she smiled. Though her eyes weren't nearly as bright as they had been before, she seemed to appreciate the gesture and squeezed back. Red felt his heart lurch in his chest.

"You're right, Red." She agreed, though he hadn't said a word. "If Green wants to be a jerk and go off on his own, that just means you and I get to spend more quality time together!" She looked over at Green and stuck her tongue out at him. "Red and I'll train really hard together and be the best trainers ever, I promise you that!"

Green rolled his eyes again, but he looked relieved that the tension had finally passed. "Please, you could train for a million years and never even get close to my level."

"That shows how much you know." Leaf retorted, raising her chin up in defiance. "I think you're way too confident for someone who's never battled before."

"You've never battled before either." Green pointed out, grinning smugly when Leaf grimaced. "So don't make promises you can't keep, Leaf."

Leaf's lower lip jutted out for a second, but then a thought came to her and she grinned. "No, I think I am going to make a promise, actually." She turned to face the town, letting go of Red's hand to cup both of hers around her mouth, and bellowed out, "Can you hear me, Pallet Town? I'm making a promise to you! I promise that I'll travel around the world and become the best trainer ever!"

There was a moment of silence as Leaf let her message ring through the air. Red blinked, and in that moment he could see exactly where that promise would lead her. He could see her traveling through Kanto, battling trainers and winning badges. He could see her moving on to Johto and meeting new Pokemon that she would capture and train. He could see her getting on a plane to visit places they hadn't even heard of yet. When he opened his eyes the image was gone, replaced by the sight of her brushing her hair away from her face as a gentle breeze blew past them. She turned to look at them expectantly, but he was too captivated by her to respond.

Green, however, was not.

"Oh yeah? I can make a promise like that too!" He said, grinning as he mirrored her earlier stance and shouted out towards the town below, "I promise that I'll be the Champion of Kanto next year! The whole world's going to know the name Green Oak!"

Leaf giggled at his boastful declaration, the earlier argument all but forgotten now, and gestured for Red to join them. "Come on Red, you go next. What do you promise?"

Red blinked at her question and quickly shook his head. He wasn't about to shout a promise for the whole town to hear. It was... embarrassing.

"Really Leaf?" Green asked, laughter in his voice. "You're not actually trying to get Red, the guy who says maybe three words a week, to shout something to the town are you?"

"Don't be mean." Leaf snapped at Green, who held up his hands again and shrugged. She sighed before taking a step towards Red and giving him a sweet smile. "You don't have to shout it like me and Green if you don't want to. But maybe you could whisper it instead?"

That sounded a lot better, actually. Red considered for a moment before he nodded and gave her the barest hint of a smile. Leaf grinned so brilliantly that Red swore he felt the air leave his lungs. He swallowed hard and moved to where Green was standing, Leaf joining him on his other side.

He looked out over Pallet Town, the place he'd lived in his whole life. What did he want to promise? What did he want more than anything in the world? He wanted to be a good trainer, that was for sure, and he wanted to travel all over the region too. He glanced over at Leaf, who was nodding for him to go on. What he wanted most of all...

"I promise I'll stick with my friends, no matter what." He whispered, his voice so quiet he barely heard over the passing breeze.

Green started laughing so hard he actually had to clutch his stomach. In between his laughter, he managed to get out, "That... is the lamest thing... I've ever heard!"

Red frowned, embarrassment coloring his cheeks as he started to second guess the promise he'd made, but then Leaf rolled her eyes in Green's direction and gave Red a reassuring smile. "Don't listen to him Red, he's just jealous that he didn't come up with something nice like you. I think that's a wonderful promise."

And just like that, the doubts that had been forming in his head were gone. He didn't know how a few simple words from her could give him so much confidence in himself, but he only had to see her smile and feel like he could do anything. Like he could do _everything_.

"Okay," Leaf said, shifting so that she could address both of them. She placed her hands on her hips for more authority. "Now that we've all made these promises, we have to swear that we're going to keep them. No excuses, alright?"

Green nodded as he wiped away a tear from the corner of his eye, his laughter only just starting to subside. "Heh, don't worry, Leaf. There's no way that I'm not reaching my goal."

Leaf smiled at him, then locked eyes with Red. "I'm definitely gonna reach my goal too. And so are you Red. Even if we're split up for a little while," She gave Green a pleading look, and he lifted a shoulder, though the smile on his face turned softer. Leaf shook her head and continued, "We're always going be together in our hearts, and no amount of distance can change that, right?"

Red looked at his two friends and felt his mouth curve up into a little smile. Leaf was so sure that nothing could keep the three of them apart that even Green was starting to look more open to the sentiment. And in that moment, with his precious friends at his side, he truly believed that they would always find a way to stick together. He nodded, and Leaf grinned at him.

"So it's settled!" She said, opening her arms wide and drapping them over Red and Green's shoulders. Before either of them knew it, she had the boys pulled in for group hug. "We're going to be the very best, like no one ever was!"

"Enough with the mushy stuff, Leaf." Green said, wriggling out of her grasp. There was a dark red blush on his cheeks.

"You're no fun." Leaf said, frowning at him. She moved her free hand to Red's shoulder and hugged him full on. "At least I have you, Red. You'll always stick around for the mushy stuff, right?"

"Y-Yeah." He mumbled, bringing his arms up to hug her back. He could feel the heat rising to his face, and kept his gaze on the ground when Leaf pulled away a few seconds later. Her eyes were sparkling again.

"What do you guys say to a game of tag?" She asked, a sly grin forming on her face as she looked back and forth between them. She didn't wait for a reply, reaching over to shove Green on the shoulder and giggling. "You're it!"

"Hey that's not fair!" Green shouted, growling as Leaf took off down the hill laughing her head off. His gaze shifted over to Red.

Red didn't need further prompting and started running down the hill after Leaf, Green hot on his heels. A gentle breeze caressed his face as the three of them raced down the hill, one after the other.


	2. Now

**A/N:** And here's chapter 2! This one also ended up longer than expected, whoops! Let me know what you thought about this fic, and thank you for reading~

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The snow always fell thick on Mt. Silver, a white, heavy powder that muted most sounds. But no matter how dense the snow was outside, sound always traveled far in the cave.

Red turned when he felt someone coming towards him, but he knew who it was before he actually saw her face. The familiar rhythm of her steady footsteps gave away her identity long before her voice did.

"Red?" Leaf called, pulling her scarf down from her face as she stared up at him. Her voice sounded different from the last time he had heard it, a little more mature but still uniquely hers, brimming life even though she had only said his name.

Red stared down from his rocky perch at the girl who had trekked all the way to the top of Mt. Silver to see him. She was dressed properly for the weather, her outfit consisiting of a light blue coat that reached her knees, black leggings that looked like they radiated warmth, and a dark blue scarf wrapped around her neck. He blinked, wondering for a moment if he was hallucinating her standing there. But when he opened his eyes again she was still there, the only splash of color in the entire cave.

"Leaf." He murmured, his voice rusty from disuse. He hoped the two of them were far enough apart that she didn't notice.

"It's great to see you." She said, walking over to the base of the rock he was standing on. She looked like she was going to try climbing up towards him, but Red hurried down to meet her instead. He stumbled and nearly tripped just as he reached the bottom, and Leaf giggled as he righted himself a moment later. He felt his cheeks heat up and tilted his cap over his face, hiding his embarrasment from her.

"I've missed you, Red." Leaf said, her voice softening as she wrapped her arms around him. "It's been way too long." She murmured into his collarbone.

He blinked, hesitating before he brought his arms up to hug her back. He hadn't had much physical contact these past few years, so when she'd hugged him so suddenly like that... well, of course he'd been slow to react. But now that he knew what was going on, he didn't want to let go. He closed his eyes and let himself enjoy the feeling of her warm body against his, only now feeling the chill from the mountain seeping into his bones. All too soon Leaf began to pull away, and he let his arms drop to his sides immediately. He suppressed a shiver as the cold air rushed back into him.

She stared up at him for a long moment, her dark brown eyes following the planes of his face in deep concentration. Red felt self-conscious as she studied him, but he only had to endure it for a moment before she grinned and nodded to herself.

"Just as I thought, you're looking a lot more mature since we last saw each other." She declared, looking satisfied with her accessment. "I guess that's to be expected though. It's been over a year, after all."

Red winced. It really had been a year since they'd last seen each other, though that was mostly is own fault. He'd rarely set foot off of Mt. Silver since the day he decided to climb up the summit in the first place. He could count the times he'd gone down on one hand: Once after Gold had come up to challenge (and subsequently defeat) him, once to see his mom after she'd written a letter asking him to visit more often, and once to say goodbye to Leaf before she got on the plane to travel Hoenn last year. He hadn't even known when she'd come back, or how long she'd been back for.

"How have you been?" She asked, oblivious to the thoughts spinning around in his head. She tilted her head towards him with a smile and said, "I heard from Green that you haven't had any new challengers recently. That must have been boring."

It was true that he hadn't had anyone come to challenge him for a few weeks now, but until she had brought it up, he'd thought that he had been enjoying the solitude. Mt. Silver hadn't changed at all in the years he spent training up here, and the never ending cold and silence had become a familiar presence to him. But now that Leaf was here with him, he realized how lonely it was up here. He didn't want to let her know all that though, so he shrugged and kept his mouth shut instead.

Leaf shook her head, an exasperated sigh leaving her lips. "Lucky I decided to come visit you today, huh Red? I _always_ brighten up your day, don't I?"

She was giving him a teasing grin, but Red didn't mind. Just seeing her smiling at him again after so long made his heart race in his chest, and he couldn't keep his lips from curving up in return.

Leaf's eyes softened at the sight the tiny smile, but a fierce gust of wind blew into the cave just then and quickly turned her smile to a grimace. Her teeth clattered a strong shiver rocked through her. "I-It's freezing up here! I don't get how you can just s-stand around in that outfit, Red. I h-have four layers on and I can still f-feel the cold seeping down to my skin!"

He almost laughed at that. He was pretty much used to the cold and didn't bother with more than his usual traveling clothes these days, but he montioned for her to follow him further into the cave with a nod. She fell into step beside him as he led her into the little alcove at the very back of the cavern, possibly the only spot on the entire mountain that was sheltered from the wind and snow. He knelt down next to the fire pit and motioned for her to sit down on his rolled up sleeping bag next to him while he got the fire going. Leaf sat down gratefully and watched as Red carefully coaxed the embers back to life.

"You always were so good at fires." She said, smiling when it finally flared up. She let her hands hover over the flames as Red added a few pieces of slightly damp wood to the fire before he settled down next to her on the ground. "You know, I had the hardest time starting them when I was on the road in Hoenn. You should have seen me struggle. I kept thinking about the old days, and how easy you made it look when we..." Leaf trailed off, her smile fading to a straight line as she stared at the flames.

Red waited for her to go on, but Leaf didn't say another word. It was strange to see her so silent and still. Red was used to Leaf going out of her way to fill in any quiet moments between them with words enough for the both of them, but right now it looked like she had finally run out of things to say.

Red bit his lip as the minutes passed by, but he didn't speak up. He knew that Leaf had come up here for a reason, because she never went anywhere without one. Even when it looked like she was wandering around aimlessly, she always had a reason. All he had to do was wait for her to reveal it.

Eventually she looked up from the orange glow of the fire, eyes distant as if she was a thousand miles away. "Red, remember those promises we made the year before we started our journeys?" She asked, her voice softer than it had been before.

The memory of that day appeared into Red's mind as if it was only yesterday. They way her hand felt in his as they ran towards the tallest hill from his house, the way the gentle spring breeze had blown her hair across her face, the look in her eyes when she had smiled at him... He nodded, his face turning pink.

Leaf smiled at his confirmation, though she didn't seem to notice his blush. "I've been thinking about that day a lot recently. About how young we were back then, and how we believed that we could do anything we said we could. Like we were invincible." She shook her head fondly. "Remember how Green and I shouted out those promises for the whole world to hear? And how you whispered yours instead, because shouting like that was too embarrassing for you?"

Red felt his cheeks darken at that, and quickly shook his head. He remembered that, of course, but he was hoping that Leaf hadn't. He turned away when he heard Leaf giggle at him.

"Aw, don't be so embarrassed. It was super cute." Leaf said, gently nudging his shoulder with hers. "That was a great time in our lives, wasn't it, Red?"

He was still avoiding her eyes, but he nodded. Life had been simple then. The three of them, thinking that they could do anything and everything, because they were young and believed that nothing was impossible. A lot had changed in the years that had passed since then, but there was one thing he never stopped believing in. That as long as he saw Leaf smiling at him, he would feel like anything was possible.

"Do you think that we kept the promises we made that day? Like, really kept them?" Leaf asked, a shiver running up her body that wasn't entirely because of the cold. She pulled her hands away from the fire and back towards herself. "I mean, sure, I've traveled through Kanto and Hoenn and the Sevii Islands, but that's hardly the whole world is it? And Green became Champion like he said he would, but he was dethroned so fast..."

She let herself trail off, and Red knew that she wasn't going to finish that sentence. _He was dethroned because you beat him an hour later._ She wouldn't have said it out loud, but they both knew that his victory against Green and later abandonment of the title was the final wedge that split the three of them apart. She didn't even bother to bring up his own broken promise, and how Red had pretty much dropped off the face of the earth for three years to play hermit and had hardly spoken to either of them since.

He and Green were just starting to mend their friendship, but it was slow going. She probably knew that though, since she said she'd talked to Green before. She also probably knew that their friendship was never going to be the way it used to be, no matter how hard they tried to fix it. He was worried that he and Leaf were the same way, and what if their relationship was almost beyond repair too? Red glanced over at her from the corner of his eye to gauge her expression, but she didn't look upset with him.

"Oh geez would you listen to me go on and on about our past?" Leaf sighed, shaking her head at the awkward silence that had settled over them again. She turned to him and smiled, though it wasn't as wide as it had been before. "Say, I bet you've been up here for so long that you missed out on all the gossip that's been floating around! Do you want me to fill you in?"

He nodded, glad to hear her voice again, even if she was only talking to fill the gaping silence between them.

Leaf's eyes softened like she was relieved, and continued, "Great, because I've got some juicy stories for you. Did you know that Erika is secretly selling love potions to people now? Of course it's just a rumor, but last I heard was..."

Red listened carefully as Leaf passed on all the gossip she had accumulated over the last few weeks. He wasn't sure how true some of her stories were (Surge going to raves every weekend? Unlikely…) but he enjoyed the sound of her voice filling the stillness of the cave as she became more and more enthusiastic about them.

"Ah, it's been pretty great, being back here in Kanto," Leaf said, tilting her head back with a grin after she'd finished telling the tale of Lorelai's secret plush toy collection. "You know, I was planning to take a trip to Kalos soon, since i've heard that the atmosphere there was amazing, but... I think I might've found a reason to stick around for a while longer."

She glanced over at Red before quickly turning her eyes down to her shoes. Her face turned pink, and Red's heart skipped a beat. He knew that look. Eyes down, face flushed, the smallest hint of a smile at the corners of her mouth... It was the exact same pose he'd held for years when he was around her. What was she trying to tell him? He swallowed hard and kept his eyes on the fire in front of him, hardly daring to breathe as he waited for her to go on.

"Red, can I tell you something? Leaf said, finally peeking up at him through her bangs. "Something really important?"

He felt himself nod, his blood soaring through his veins as he tilted his head towards her. She looked so nervous, but excited too, and Red had to keep himself from taking her hands in his and confessing his feelings first before she could.

"Okay, here goes." Leaf said, taking a deep breath before she leaned in towards him. She was close enough that all Red had to do was lean forward to kiss her. "So... I am going to stay in Kanto for a while. Maybe for a long time." She bit her lip nervously and let the next words come out in a rush. "Green told me he liked me yesterday and asked me to be his girlfriend."

It took a moment for the words to register in his head, but when they did, Red felt his world tilt beneath him. Green liked Leaf. He told her yesterday. He'd asked her to be his girlfriend... He must have misheard that. Red cleared his throat, careful to hide the fact that the all the air had been sucked out of his lungs, and asked, "What... What did you say?"

Leaf looked surprised to hear him speak out loud, but a wide grin quickly spread over her cheeks as she giggled, "Well I said yes of course! He told me last night, when I was packing a bag to visit you up here. I guess he thought that I was getting ready to leave Kanto already, even though I've only been back for a few weeks, and... I don't know, I guess he didn't want me to go without telling me how he felt." Leaf brought her hands up to her cheeks and closed her eyes, a dreamy sigh escaping her lips. "I've liked him for so long, since we were kids you know, but I never expected him to make a move like this! Can you believe it, Red?"

He blinked and quickly shook his head. Of course he couldn't believe it. He had never seen Green show any romantic interest in her before. As far as he knew, all Green had cared about was being a Pokemon trainer. But now Green had asked Leaf to be his girlfriend, and she'd said yes. And of course she had! Red wasn't blind, he'd noticed the crush she had on Green when they were younger. He had seen the way she blushed and gotten tongue-tied around Green, but he'd thought...

He had thought that maybe she'd gotten over her crush since then, and that Leaf would want to be with him someday. He'd liked Leaf since they were kids too.

Leaf leaned against his shoulder, a tentative smile on her face. "I know it's a lot to take in, but you approve, don't you? I know you mostly think of him as the arrogant kid who bossed us around when we were little, but he's really changed, Red. He's a lot more mature and thoughtful and kinder than he used to be. Please say you're happy for me."

At first, he didn't say a word. A small, bitter part of him wanted to tell her the truth. That he wasn't happy to hear this at all, and that her news was devestating, because he was in love with her, and he had been for years. And... maybe if he hadn't spent so much time on this stupid mountain, things could have turned out differently.

...But it was too late to say any of that, wasn't it? He didn't want to hurt her. Red forced the corner of his mouth up, though he wasn't sure it looked like much of a smile, and nodded.

A look of relief spread over Leaf's face, and she wrapped her arms around him tightly. "I'm so happy to hear that, Red. You know how much I value your input, and now that I know you approve, I just... I feel so much better."

"I'm glad." He lied, tilting his head down to rest his chin on the top of her head. His chest ached as he held her in his arms, knowing that this was as the closest he'd ever be to her.

"Thank you for always being there for me, Red." Leaf murmured, burying her face in his chest with a sigh. "I know we haven't been as close as we used to be, but you're still my best friend, and you always will be. I'm pretty sure I wouldn't have made it this far without you." She said, pulling away just enough to look into his eyes, a tender smile forming on her face. "You've been my pillar of strength Red, and I love you for that."

Red gasped at that last sentence, subtle enough that Leaf didn't notice it. He understood that she hadn't meant it to be romantic, but hearing Leaf say that she loved him made the ache in his chest dull a little. Because she had never stopped caring about him, even after all these years apart, and that alone was enough to turn the smile on his face a little more genuine.

Leaf smiled back as she pulled away from his arms , but she stayed close enough that their shoulders were still touching. She shook her head fondly as a giggle escaped from her lips. "Okay, wow that was incredibly mushy, wasn't it? Sorry, go ahead and tell me how lame I am."

"No... It was nice." Red said, looking right into her eyes as he took her hand his. She raised an eyebrow, but didn't pull away, and his heart stuttered in his chest. He cleared his throat. "I promised I'd always be here for the mushy stuff, remember?"

Her eyes sparkled at the memory and she nodded. "I remember. You're still the same great guy I could always rely on."

 _And that's all I'll ever be_ , he thought to himself. But maybe that was okay. He'd missed his chance to tell her how he felt, sure, but that was just something he was going to have to live with. The only thing that mattered now was that Leaf was happy, and looking at her now, Red knew that she would be for a very long time. So what if she was never going to love him the same way that he loved her? Being her best friend was more than enough.

"Come back with me." Leaf said, squeezing his fingers gently. "Let's get out of the cold and go home together. What do you say?"

He hesitated, weighing the options in front of him. If he left now, he'd have to deal with all the things he'd been neglecting for the past few years. All the people he'd let down, the responsibilities he'd abandonded, the life he'd left behind. But if he stayed, he had no idea how long it would be until he saw Leaf again, and he couldn't stand the idea of letting her down a second time. So really, he only had one option, didn't he?

"Okay." He whispered, squeezing her hand back with a quick nod. As long as Leaf was by his side, he knew he could face anything that was waiting for him.


End file.
